2 Nivazaiti; literally, swallow (? frot 6 bun burtan, Vend. V, ' Literally, overtake. " Cf. Yt. V, 85.
^? Asanem sighftire. « Cf. Yt. V, 69.
BAHRAM VAST. 247 XX.
61. We sacrifice to Verethraghna, made by Ahura.
Yatha ahu vairyo: The will of the Lord is the law of holiness...In the ox is our strength, in the ox is our need ^; in the ox is our speech, in the ox is our victory; in the ox is our food, in the ox is our clothing; in the ox is tillage, that makes food grow for us.
For his brightness and glory, I will offer unto him a sacrifice worth being heard...XXI.
62. We sacrifice to Verethraghna, made by Ahura; Who breaks the columns asunder, who cuts the columns to pieces, who wounds the columns, who makes the columns shake; who comes and breaks the columns asunder, who comes and cuts the columns to pieces, who comes and wounds the columns, who comes and makes the columns shake, both of Daevas and men, of the Yatus and Pairikas, of the oppressors, the blind, and the deaf.
For his brightness and glory, I will offer unto him a sacrifice worth being heard...XXII.
63. We sacrifice to Verethraghna, made by Ahura. When Verethraghna, made by Ahura, binds the hands, confounds the eye-sight, takes the hearing ^ From Yasna X, 20 (62), where, instead of the words, ' in the ox is our strength (aniem), in the ox is our need,' the text has, ' in the ox is his need, in the ox is our need,' meaning, ' when we give him his need (water and grass), he gives us our need (milk and calves),' (Pahl. tr.).
248 YA5'TS AND sIrOZAHS.
from the ears of the Mithradrii^es^ marching in cohimns, alHed by cities, they can no longer move their feet, they can no longer withstand.
For his brightness and glory, I will offer unto him a sacrifice worth being heard...64. Yatha ahu vairyo: The will of the Lord is the law of holiness...I bless the sacrifice and prayer, and the strength and vigour of Verethraghna, made by Mazda; and of the crushinp- Ascendant.
o AshemVohu: Holiness is the best of all good...[Give] unto that man^ brightness and glory,...give him the bright, all-happy, blissful abode of the holy Ones.
^ Who shall offer a sacrifice to Verethraghna.
A RAM VAST. 249 XV. RAM YA^-T.
This Ya^t bears the name of Rama Z^z^astra, the Genius who presides over the 21st day of the month (Sirozah, § 21), and is devoted to his Hamkar, Vayu.
Regarding Rama ffvastra., the Genius that gives good abodes and good pastures, and his connection with Vayu, see Vend. Introd. IV, and Etudes Iraniennes, II, 187.
This Ya^t can be divided into two parts. The first part (§§ 1-140) contains an enumeration of worshippers who sacrificed to Vayu: Ahura Mazda (§ 2), Haoshyangha (§ 7), Takhma Urupa (§ 11), Yima (§ 15), Az'i Dahaka (§ 19), Thraetaona {§ 23), Keresaspa (§ 27), Aurvasara (§ 31), Hutaosa (§ 35), and Iranian maids (§ 39). The second part (§§ 42-58) contains a special enumeration and glorification of the many names of Vayu (§§ 42-50).
o. May Ahura Mazda be rejoiced!...Ashem Vohu: Holiness is the best of all good...I confess myself a worshipper of Mazda, a follower of Zara- thujtra, one who hates the Daevas, and obeys the laws of Ahura; For sacrifice, prayer, propitiation, and glorification unto [Havani], the holy and master of holiness...Unto Rama HvsLStra, unto Vayu who works highly and is more powerful to afflict than all other creatures \ Be propitiation from me, for sacrifice, prayer, propitiation, and glorification.
Yatha ahfi vairyo: The will of the Lord is the law of holiness...I.
I. I will sacrifice to the Waters and to Him who divides them 2. I will sacrifice to Peace, whose breath is friendly, and to Weal, both of them.
2 Apam Napa/ (Yt. VIII, 34) or Tijtrya (Yt. VIII, i).
250 YA5TS AND SIRdZAHS.
To this Vayu do we sacrifice,' this Vayu do we invoke, for this house, for the master of this house, and for the man here who is offering Hbations and giving gifts. To this excellent God do we sacrifice, that he may accept our meat and our prayers, and grant us in return to crush our enemies at one stroke.
2 \ To him did the Maker, Ahura Mazda, offer up a sacrifice in the Airyana Vae^ah^ on a golden throne, under golden beams - and a golden canopy, with bundles of baresma and offerings of full-boiling [milk]^ 3. He begged of him a boon, saying: ' Grant me this, O Vayu! who dost work highly^, that I may smite the creation of Angra Mainyu, and that nobody may smite this creation of the Good Spirit!'
4. Vayu, who works highly, granted him that boon, as the Maker, Ahura Mazda, did pursue it.
5. We sacrifice to the holy Vayu: we sacrifice to Vayu, who works highly.
To this part of thee do we sacrifice, O Vayu! that belongs to Spewta Mainyu ^ For his brightness and glory, I will offer unto him a sacrifice worth being heard, namely, unto the awful Vayu, who works highly. We offer up a sacri- fice unto the awful Vayu, who works highly, with the libations, with the Haoma and meat, with the baresma, with the wisdom of the tongue, with the ^ As Vayu, the atmosphere, is the place in which the conflict of the two principles takes place, one part of him belongs to the Evil Spirit (see Vend. Introd. IV, 17).
RAM YAST. 251 holy Spells, the words, the deeds, the libations, and the well-spoken words.
Ye«he hatam: All those beings of whom Ahura Mazda...II.
6. I will sacrifice to the Waters and to Him who divides them...To this Vayu do we sacrifice, this Vayii do we 7. To him did Haoshyangha, the Paradhata, offer up a sacrifice on the Taera of the Hara, bound with iron^ on a golden throne, under golden beams and a golden canopy, with bundles of baresma and offer- ings of full-boiling [milk].
8. He begged of him a boon, saying: ' Grant me, O Vayu! who dost work highly, that I may smite two-thirds of the Daevas of Mazana and of the fiends ofVarena^' 9. Vayu, who works highly, granted him that boon, as the Maker, Ahura Mazda^ did pursue It.
We sacrifice to the holy Vayu...For his brightness and glory, I will offer unto him a sacrifice worth being heard...III.
10. I will sacrifice to the Waters and to Him who divides them...To this Vayu do we sacrifice, this Vayu do we invoke...* The rest as in clause i.
* Introduced from § 4 into this and all similar clauses, except the one relating to Asi Dahaka (§ 21).
252 YA.STS AND SIROZAHS.
1 1. To him did Takhma Urupa^ the well-armed^, offer up a sacrifice on a golden throne, under golden beams and a golden canopy, with bundles of baresma and offerings of full-boiling [milk].
12. He begged of him a boon, saying: ' Grant me this, O Vayu! who dost work highly, that I may conquer all Daevas and men, all the Yatus and Pairikas, and that I may ride Angra Mainyu, turned into the shape of a horse, all around the earth from one end to the other, for thirty years.'
13. Vayu, who works highly, granted him that boon^, as the Maker, Ahura Mazda, did pursue it.
We sacrifice to the holy Vayu...For his brightness and glory, I will offer unto him a sacrifice worth being heard...14. I will sacrifice to the Waters and to Him who divides them...To this Vayu do we sacrifice, this Vayu do we invoke...
15. Unto him did the bright Yima, the good shep- ^ Takhma Urupa (in later legend Tahmiaraf) was a brother to Yima. He reigned for thirty years and rode Ahriman, turned into a horse. But at last his wife, deceived by Ahriman, revealed to him the secret of her husband's power, and Tahmuraf was swallowed up by his horse. But Yima managed to take back his brother's body from the body of Ahriman and recovered thereby the arts and civilisation which had disappeared along with Tah- muraf (see Minokhired XXVII, 32; Ravaet apud Spiegel, Einleitung in die traditionelle Literatur, pp. 317 seq.; Ormazd et Ahriman, § 137 seq.; cf above, p. 60, note i).
2 Azinava^z/ or zaenahvaw/: he kept that epithet in later tra- dition: Zinavend, ' quod cognomen virum significat armis probe instructum' (Hamza Ispahensis, p. 20, tr. Gottwaldt).
' As told Yt. XIX, 29.
herd, sacrifice from the height Hukairya, the all- shining and golden, on a golden throne, under golden beams and a golden canopy, with bundles of baresma and offerings of full-boiling [milk].
16. He begged of him a boon, saying: ' Grant me this, O Vayu! who dost work highly, that I may become the most glorious of the men born to behold the sun: that I may make in my reign both animals and men undying, waters and plants undrying, and the food for eating creatures never-failing\' In the reign of the valiant Yima there was neither cold wind nor hot wind, neither old age nor death, nor envy made by the Daevas^ 17. Vayu, who works highly, granted him that boon, as the Maker, Ahura Mazda, did pursue it.
We sacrifice to the holy Vayu...For his brightness and glory, I will offer unto him a sacrifice worth being heard...V.
18. I will sacrifice to the Waters and to Him who divides them...To this Vayu do we sacrifice, this Vayu do we invoke...19. Unto him did the three-mouthed Kz\ Dahaka offer up a sacrifice in his accursed palace of Kviri;/ta^, ^ Cf. Yasna IX, 4-5 (11-20) and Yt. XIX, 31 seq.
"^ This passage is interpolated from Yasna IX, 5 (17-19).
' Or, 'his accursed palace of the Stork' (upa kviri«tem duzitem). 'Azi Dahaka,' says Hamza (p. 32 in the text, p. 22 in the transla- tion), 'used to live in Babylon (cf. Yt.V, 29), where he had built a palace in the form of a stork; he called it Kuleng Dis ((_^j dli^, the fortress of the Stork; the inhabitants called it Dis Het (o^ ^j-^.^)' Kuleng Dis was in Zend Kviriwta daeza and Dis Het is nothing else than Duzita. One may doubt on a golden throne, under golden beams and a golden canopy, with bundles of baresma and offerings of full-boiling [milk], 20. He begged of him a boon, saying: ' Grant me this, O Vayu! who dost work highly, that I may make all the seven Karshvares of the earth empty of men\' 21. In vain did he sacrifice, in vain did he beg, in vain did he invoke, in vain did he give gifts, in vain did he bring libations; Vayu did not grant him that boon.
For his brightness and glory, I will offer unto him a sacrifice worth being heard...VI.
22. I will sacrifice to the Waters and to Him who divides them...To this Vayu do we sacrifice, this Vayu do we invoke...23. Unto him did Thraetaona, the heir of the valiant Athwya clan, offer up a sacrifice in the four-cornered Varena, on a golden throne, under golden beams and a golden canopy, with bundles of baresma and offerings of full-boiling [milk].
24. He begged of him a boon, saying: ' Grant me this, O Vayu! who dost work highly, that I may overcome A^i Dahaka, the three -mouthed, the three-headed, the six-eyed, who has a thousand senses, that most powerful, fiendish Dru^, that whether Kviri;2ta is the name of a place or the Zend form of Kuleng, a stork: in any case it was a palace in Bawri (Babylon). In the Shah Namah it is called Di3ukht(dus-ukhta for duz-ita; see Etudes Iraniennes, II, 211).
RAM VAST. 255 demon baleful to the world, the strongest Druc^ that Angra Mainyu created against the material world, to destroy the world of the good principle; and that I may deliver his two wives, Savanghava./^ and Erena- vak, who are the fairest of body amongst women, and the most wonderful creatures in the world \' 25. Vayu, who works highly, granted him that boon, as the Maker, Ahura Mazda, did pursue it.
We sacrifice to the holy Vayu...For his brightness and glory, I will offer unto him a sacrifice worth being heard...VII.
26. I will sacrifice to the Waters and to Him who divides them...To this Vayu do we sacrifice, this Vayu do we invoke...27. To him did the manly-hearted Keresaspa^ offer up a sacrifice by the Gudha^, a channel of the Rangha, made by Mazda, upon a golden throne, under golden beams and a golden canopy, with bundles of baresma and offerings of full-boiling [milk].
28. He begged of him a boon, saying: 'Grant me this, O Vayu! who dost work highly, that I may suc- ceed in avenging my brother Urvakhshaya*, that I may smite Hitaspa and yoke him to my chariot.'
The Ga;^darewa, who lives beneath the waters.
^ An unknown affluent of the Rangha (Tigris).
* Sama had two sons, Keresaspa, a warrior, and Urvakhshaya, a judge and law-giver (Yasna IX, 10 [29 seq.]). We have no further details about Urvakhshaya's legend than that he was killed by ' Hitaspa, the golden-crowned' (cf. Yt. XIX, 41), and avenged by Keresaspa.
256 YASTS AND SIROZAHS.
is the son of Ahura in the deep, he is the only master of the deep\ 29. Vayu, who works highly, granted him that boon, as the Maker, Ahura Mazda, did pursue it.
We sacrifice to the holy Vayu...For his brightness and glory, I will offer unto him a sacrifice worth being heard...VIII.
30. I will sacrifice to the Waters and to Him who divides them...To this Vayu do we sacrifice, this Vayu do we invoke...
31. To him did Aurvasara2,the lord of the country, offer up a sacrifice, towards the White Forest ^ by the White Forest, on the border of the White Forest, on a golden throne, under golden beams and a golden canopy, with bundles of baresma and offerings of full-boiling [milk].
32. He begged of him a boon, saying: 'Grant me this, O Vayu! who dost work highly, that the gallant Husravah, he who unites the Aryan nations into one kingdom*, may not smite us; that I may flee from king Husravah^;...^ A disconnected allusion to the struggle of Keresaspa with the Gawdarewa (Yt.V, 38, text and notes; XIX, 41). On the words ' the son of Ahura,...' cf. Ormazd et Ahriman, p. 215, note i.
^ No other mention is made of Aurvasara in the Avesta, unless he is alluded to in Yt.V, 50. He does not appear to have been known to Firdausi.
2 Spaetinij razura is called 'the chief of forests' (Bund. XXIV, 16). According to the Bahman Ya^t (III, 9), it was the seat of the last and decisive battle between Ar^asp and Gujlasp.
RAM VAST. 257 'That king Husravah and all the Aryans in the Forest may smite him\' 2,3. Vayu, who works highly, granted him that boon, as the Maker, Ahura Mazda, did pursue it.
We sacrifice to the holy Vayu...For his brightness and glory, I will offer unto him a sacrifice worth being heard...IX.
34. I will sacrifice to the Waters and to Him who divides them...To this Vayu do we sacrifice, this Vayu do we invoke...35. To him did Hutaosa, she of the many brothers^, of the Naotara house ^, offer up a sacri- fice, on a golden throne, under golden beams and a golden canopy, with bundles of baresma and offerings of boiling milk.
36. She begged of him a boon, saying: 'Grant me this, O Vayu! who dost work highly, that I may be dear and loved and well-received in the house of king ViJtaspa.'
37. Vayu, who works highly, granted her that boon, as the Maker, Ahura Mazda, did pursue it.
We sacrifice to the holy Vayu...For his brightness and glory, 1 will offer unto him a sacrifice worth being heard...X.
38. I will sacrifice to the Waters and to Him who divides them...^ This line looks as if it should belong to a counter-prayer by Husravah, which was heard by Vayu, as appears from Yt. V, 50. 2 See Yt. IX, 26. ^ See p. 77, note i.
258 YAi'TS AND SIROZAHS.
To this Vayu do we sacrifice, this Vayu do we invoke...39. To him did^ the maids, whom no man had known, offer up a sacrifice on a golden throne, under golden beams and a golden canopy, with bundles of baresma and offerings of boiling milk.
40. They begged of him a boon, saying: ' Grant us this, O Vayu! who dost work highly, that we may find a husband, young and beautiful of body, who will treat us well, all life long, and give us off- spring; a wise, learned, ready-tongued husband.'
41. Vayu, who works highly, granted them that boon, as the Maker, Ahura Mazda, did pursue it.
We sacrifice to the holy Vayu...For his brightness and glory, I will offer unto him a sacrifice worth being heard...XI.
42. I will sacrifice to the Waters and to Him who divides them...* To this Vayu do we sacrifice, this Vayu do we invoke...We sacrifice to that Vayu that belongs to the Good Spirit", the bright and glorious Vayu.
43. My name is Vayu, O holy Zarathujrtra! My name is Vayu, because I go through (vyemi) the two worlds ^ the one which the Good Spirit has ^ It may be doubted whether the allusion here is to a legend of marriage en masse, following the marriage of Hutaosa with Vij- taspa, or whether the aorist is used with an indicative meaning: ' To him do the maids who have known no man...They beg of him a boon, saying...' Cf.Yt. XVI, 17.
^ An attempt to an etymological explanation of the name Vayu.
made and the one which the Evil Spirit has made.
My name is the Overtaker (apaeta), O holy Zarathui'tra! My name is the Overtaker, because I can overtake the creatures of both worlds, the one that the Good Spirit has made and the one that the Evil Spirit has made.
44. My name is the All-smiting, O holy Zarathui"tra! My name is the All-smiting, because I can smite the creatures of both worlds, the one that the Good Spirit has made and the one that the Evil Spirit has made.
My name is the Worker of Good, O holy Zara- thui-tra! My name is the Worker of Good, because I work the good of the Maker, Ahura Mazda, and of the Amesha-Spe/;tas\ 45. My name is He that goes forwards. My name is He that goes backwards. My name is He that bends backwards. My name is He that hurls away.
My name is He that hurls down.
My name is He that destroys.
My name is He that takes away.
My name is He that finds out.
My name is He that finds out the Glory (Z/z'areno).
46. My name is the Valiant; my name is the Most Valiant.
My name is the Strong; my name is the Strongest. My name is the Firm; my name Is the Firmest. My name is the Stout; my name is the Stoutest. My name is He that crosses over easily. My name is He that goes along hurling away.
' He is their agent and instrument.
26o YASTS AND SIROZAHS.
My name is He that crushes at one stroke.
My name is He that works against the Daevas.
47. My name is He that prevails over maHce; my name is He that destroys maHce.
My name is He that unites; my name is He that re-unites; my name is He that separates.
My name is the Burning; my name is the Quick of intelHgence^, My name is DeHverance; my name is Welfare*.
My name is the Burrow^; my name is He who destroys the burrows^; my name is He who spits upon the burrows ^ 48. My name is Sharpness of spear; my name is He of the sharp spear.
My name is Length of spear; my name is He of the long spear.
My name is Piercingness of spear; my name is He of the piercing spear.
My name is the Glorious; my name is the Over- glorious.
49 ^ Invoke these names of mine, O holy Zara- thui'tra! in the midst of the havocking hordes, in the midst of the columns moving forwards, in the strife of the conflicting nations.
* Reading sudhij.
^ Gere dha is the burrow of an Ahrimanian creature (see Vend. Ill, 10 [33]; VII, 24 [61]): Vayu, in that half of him that belongs to the Evil Spirit, is the seat (the burrow) of Ahriman; but with his better half, he struggles against the fiend and destroys him.
50. Invoke these names of mine, O holy Zara- thujtra! when the all-powerful tyrant of a country falls upon thee, rushes upon thee, deals wounds upon thee, or hurls his chariot against thee, to rob thee^ of thy wealth, to rob thee of thy health.
51. Invoke these names of mine, O holy Zara- thu^tra! when the unholy Ashemaogha falls upon thee, rushes upon thee, deals wounds upon thee, or hurls his chariot against thee, to rob thee of thy strength, to rob thee of thy wealth, to rob thee of thy health.
52. Invoke these names of mine, O holy Zara- thu^tra! when a man stands in bonds, when a man is being thrown into bonds, or when a man is being dragged in bonds: thus the prisoners flee from the hands of those who carry them, they flee away out of the prison ^ 53.0 thou Vayu! who strikest fear upon all men and horses, who in all creatures workest against the Daevas, both into the lowest places and into those a thousand times deep dost thou enter with equal power ^ 54. * With what manner of sacrifice shall I worship thee? With what manner of sacrifice shall I forward and worship thee? With what manner of sacrifice will be achieved thy adoration, O great Vayu! thou who art high-up girded, firm, swift-moving, high- footed, wide-breasted, wide-thighed, with untrembling eyes, as powerful in sovereignty as any absolute sovereign in the world? ' o ' Literally, coveting, 2 The translation of this clause is doubtful; the text is corrupt.
262 YA^-TS AND SIROZAHS.
55. 'Take thou a baresma, O holy Zarathu^tra! turn it upwards or downwards, according as it is full day or dawning; upwards during the day, down- wards at the dawn\ 56. ' If thou makest me worshipped with a sacri- fice, then I shall say unto thee with my own voice things of health, made by Mazda and full of glory, so that Angra Mainyu may never do harm unto thee, nor the Yatus, nor those addicted to the works of the Yatu, whether Daevas or men.'
57. We sacrifice unto thee, O great Vayu! we sacrifice unto thee, O strong Vayu!
We sacrifice unto Vayu, the greatest of the great; we sacrifice unto Vayu, the strongest of the strong.
We sacrifice unto Vayu, of the golden helm.
We sacrifice unto Vayu, of the golden crown.
We sacrifice unto Vayu, of the golden necklace.
We sacrifice unto Vayu, of the golden chariot.
We sacrifice unto Vayu, of the golden wheel.
We sacrifice unto Vayu, of the golden weapons.
We sacrifice unto Vayu, of the golden garment.
We sacrifice unto Vayu, of the golden shoe.
We sacrifice unto Vayu, of the golden girdle.
We sacrifice unto the holy Vayu; we sacrifice unto Vayu, who works highly.
To this part of thee do we sacrifice, O Vayu! that belongs to the Good Spirit.
For his brightness and glory, I will offer unto him a sacrifice worth being heard, namely, unto the awful Vayu, who works highly...58. Yatha ahu vairyo: The will of the Lord is the law of holiness...I bless the sacrifice and invocation unto, and the ^ Etudes Iraniennes, II, no.
Strength and vigour of Rama i7'^^astra, and Vayu, who works highly, more powerful to afflict than all the other creatures: this part of thee that belongs to the Good Spirit.
Ashem Vohii: Holiness is the best of all good...[Give] unto that man brightness and glory,...give him the bright, all-happy, blissful abode of the holy Ones.
264 YAS-TS AND sIrOZAHS.
XVI. DlN VAST.
Din (Daena) presides over the 24th day of the month (Sirozah 24) and gives it her name; she is invoked in company with ^ista, and in fact this Ya^t, though it bears the name of Daena, is consecrated to jSTista (§§ 2, 7). These two Genii are, however, very closely connected in their nature, as Daena is the impersonation of the Zoroastrian Law or Religion, and A'ista is religious knowledge, the knowledge of what leads to bliss (far^anak, nirvawa^ilana; the same as ^isti).
The description of Alsta is rather pallid, and does not rise above abstractions (see, however, Mihir Ya-rt, § 126). She was not wor- shipped by the old epic heroes as Anahita was, but by Zarathujtra and his wife, because she must have been, from her very name and nature, a goddess of Zoroastrian origin and growth.
o. May Ahura Mazda be rejoiced!...AshemVohu: Holiness is the best of all good...I confess myself a worshipper of Mazda, a follower of Zarathu^tra, one who hates the Daevas and obeys the laws of Ahura; For sacrifice, prayer, propitiation, and glorification unto [Havani], the holy and master of holiness...To the most right iv'ista, made by Mazda and holy, and to the good Law of the worshippers of Mazda, Be propitiation from me, for sacrifice, prayer, propitiation, and glorification.
Yatha ahu vairyo: The will of the Lord is the law of holiness...I.
I. We sacrifice to the most right A'ista, made by Mazda and holy: we sacrifice to the good Law of the worshippers of Mazda, the supplier of good dJn vast. 265 stores, who runs quickly to the goal and frees one best from dangers ^ who brings libations, who is holy, clever, and renowned, speedy to work and quick of work; who goes quickly and cleanses well; the good Law of the worshippers of Mazda; 2. To whom Zarathui"tra did sacrifice, saying: ' Rise up from thy seat, come forward from the Abode 2, thou most right Arista, made by Mazda and holy. If thou art before me, stay for me; if thou art behind me, overtake me.
3. ' Let everything be as friendly to us as any- thing can be: may we go smoothly along the roads, find good pathways in the mountains, run easily through the forests, and cross happily the rivers!'
4. For her brightness and glory, I will offer unto her a sacrifice worth being heard, namely, unto the most right Arista, made by Mazda and holy. I will offer up a sacrifice unto the most right A'ista, made by Mazda and holy, with the libations, with the Haoma and meat, with the baresma, with the wisdom of the tongue, with the holy spells, with the words and deeds, with the libations, with the well- spoken words.
YenhQ hatam: All those beings of whom Ahura Mazda...n.
5. We sacrifice to the most right Arista, made by Mazda and holy: we sacrifice to the good Law of the worshippers of Mazda..
3 ^ Reading nimarezijta; cf. vimarezijtem, Yt. I, 2. 2 The heavenly abode, the Garolhmdn. ' The rest as in § i.
266 YASTS AND siROZAHS.
6. To whom Zarathiutra did sacrifice for right- eousness of thought, for righteousness of speech, for righteousness of deed, and for this boon, 7. That the most right ATista, made by Mazda and holy, would give him the swiftness of the feet, the quick hearing of the ears, the strength of the arms, the health of the whole body, the sturdiness of the whole body, and the eye-sight of the Kara fish, that lives beneath the waters, and can measure a rippling of the waters not thicker than a hair, in the Rangha, whose ends lie afar and whose depth is a thousand times the height of a man \ For her brightness and glory, I will offer unto her a sacrifice worth bemg heard...III.
8. We sacrifice to the most right Arista, made by Mazda and holy: we sacrifice to the good Law of the worshippers of Mazda...9. To whom Zarathu^tra did sacrifice for righteous- ness of thought, for righteousness of speech, for righteousness of deed, and for this boon, 10. That the most right Arista, made by Mazda and holy, would give him the swiftness of the feet, the quick hearing of the ears, the strength of the arms, the health of the whole body, the sturdiness of the whole body, and the eye-sight of the male horse, that, in the dark of the night, through the rain, the snow, the hail, or the sleet, from as far as nine districts, can perceive a horse's hair, mingled with the earth, and knows whether it is from the head or from the tail ^.
For her brightness and glory, I will offer unto her a sacrifice worth being heard...lY.
11. We sacrifice to the most right A'ista, made by Mazda and holy: we sacrifice to the good Law of the worshippers of Mazda...12. To whom Zarathu^tra did sacrifice for right- eousness of thought, for righteousness of speech, for righteousness of deed, and for this boon, 13. That the most right TiTista, made by Mazda and holy, would give him the swiftness of the feet, the quick hearing of the ears, the strength of the arms, the health of the whole body, the sturdiness of the whole body, and the eye-sight of the vulture with a golden collar, that, from as far as nine dis- tricts, can perceive a piece of flesh, not thicker than a fist, giving just as much light as a needle gives, as the point of a needle gives \ For her brightness and glory, I will offer unto her a sacrifice worth being heard...V.
14. We sacrifice to the most right A'ista, made by Mazda and holy: we sacrifice to the good Law of the worshippers of Mazda...15. To whom the holy Hvovi^ did sacrifice with full knowledge, wishing that the holy ZarathuJtra would give her his good narcotic ■\ that she might ' Cf. Yt. XIV, 33. ^ Zarathu.ftra's wife.
3 JBangha; the so-called Bang of Zoroaster (Vend. XV, 14 [44]; Phi. tr.). What must have been its virtue may be gathered from the legends of Gu^tasp and Arda Viraf, who are said to have been transported in soul to the heavens, and to have had the higher 268 YA5TS AND SIROZAHS.
think according to the law, speak according to the law, and do according to the law.
For her brightness and glory, I will offer unto her a sacrifice worth being heard VI.
1 6. We sacrifice to the most right Arista, made by Mazda and holy: we sacrifice to the good Law of the worshippers of Mazda...1 7. To whom the Athravans, sent afar ^ did sacri- fice ^ wishing a good memory to preach the law, and wishing strength for their own body.
For her brightness and glory, I will offer unto her a sacrifice worth being heard...VII.
18. We sacrifice to the most right Arista, made by Mazda and holy: we sacrifice to the good Law of the worshippers of Mazda...19. To whom the king of the country, the lord of the country does sacrifice, wishing peace for his country, wishing strength for his own body.
For her brightness and glory, I will offer unto her a sacrifice worth being heard...20. Yatha ahu vairyo: The will of the Lord is the law of hoUness...I bless the sacrifice and prayer, and the strength mysteries revealed to them, on drinking from a cup prepared by the prophet (Zardu^t Namah), or from a cup of Gmtasp-bang (Arda Viraf, II, 29).
1 The itinerant priests, the ancestors of the modern dervishes.
2 Or better, do sacrifice; cf. Yt. XIV, 39.
dJn yast. 269 and vigour of the most right A'ista, made by Mazda and holy, and of the good Law of the worshippers of Mazda.
Ashem Vohu: Holiness is the best of all good...[Give] unto that man brightness and glory,...give him long, long life, give him the bright, all-happy, blissful abode of the holy Ones.
270 YA5TS AND SIROZAHS.
XVII. ASHI YAST.
Ashi Vanguhi or 'the good Ashi^'is a feminine impersonation of piety ^ and she is, at the same time, the source of all the good and riches that are connected with piety ■'. She is described, there- fore, as a goddess of Fortune and Wealth, and is invoked in com- pany with Pare;;di, the goddess of Treasures {Sirozah 25)